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a
Si St
^Charles Wilson Was
Adopted by Crows; |
Ex-Federal Employee
"Smokey"—born in slavery, early
son of Montana, adopted son of the
Crow Indian tribe, government
interpreter, Indian agency policeman,;
and loyal friend of white and red
though his own color was black—is
dead. - „, , j 1
' Death came suddenly to Charles
Wilson, who was "Smokey," the retired Negro government employe, at
about 7 p. m. Monday in his home at
Crow Agency, according to a tele-
phonic message received in Billings
from agency officials by S. G. Reyn-
olds, 3203 Fouth avenue north, long-
time friend and former employer of
"Smokey." .
The cause of death was not given,
but last January 24 the aged Negro {
; entered a hospital at Crow Agency j
\ with an attack of what was then be-
lieved to be a fatal case of pneu- J
: monia.
Smokey was about 78 yiars old, if ;
|his calculations were correct. ;
pProbably the only account of his life (
»is that which he told Major Reyn-i
olds who, from 1902 to 1910, was In-
dian agent on the Crow reservation. j
Major Reynolds had known Smokey j
before, but it was during his tenure |
of office that Smokey became "part
of the family." I
His parents were slaves, he had told j
Major Reynolds, but he did not re- 1
member them. Within a few years
of his birth, which occurred in St. [
Louis, Mo., in about 1858, his mother j
and father were taken away. He Was j
left with a family, the head of Which
was Lewis M. Howell. With the end j
of the Civil war, Mr. Howell shipped 1
by steamboat up the Missouri river j
I to Montana, bringing Smokey along j
, as one Of the members of his own j.
I family.
The steamboat was. the "E. O. Stand- \
ard", making its first trip. The pilot j
was Bud Howell.
Lewis Howell unloaded at Fort Ben- j
' ton and with his ox teams continued
on to Helena. After remaining there j
;two weeks, he moved onto land near |
! Bozeman. There he farmed for about I
three years, but sold out in 1869 and |
moved to California. But Smokey 1
remained in Montana with a Bozeman j
livery stable operator.
It was in this stable that Smokey j
j began his career as an exceptional
horseman, and when Nelson Story,
1 famous early day Montanan, brought j
!a fine bunch' of young horses toi
Bozeman from California, Smokey;
went to work for him, breaking and;
riding the horses. He remained with;
Story for three years.
There were a number of Orow In-
'dians living at that time near Sofe*
man and Smokey associated ire-;
quently with the younger generation. .
He learned to ride as only an Indian j
can ride, competed with the youthful!
Indians in their races, and at the
same time mastered the crow tongue\
and the sign language.
About 1872 he Was **discovered'" by
I the officers of Fort Ellis, who took
him with them on many of their trips j
into Indian country, Smokey acting I
as interpreter. When the soldiers |
left Fort Ellis, Smokey went to live!
with the Crows at the agency on Mis- f
siori creek. He followed the fortunes I
of the Crows from that day until his i
death.
Smokey and Gen. Hugh L. Scott \
first became acquainted in 1877, the |
year after the Battle of the Little Big j
V j Si
/ f
(
/ /
i
-r^
PARMLY BILLINGS
MEMORIAL LIBRARY
BILLINGS, MONTANA
Gift of
Ofaa r> le s J# Cha ppl
®
.'into the Musselshell country to con- ■,
fer with ' Sorrel Horse,-' a crow chief- j
I tain, Scott■ did not need Smokey as
I an interpreter. Scott knew the'Crow j
! language too well himself. But he I
• used Smokey on that trip as his !
I wrangler.
, For the next 10- days, Smokey served ]
: the government as an interpreter,
i For the last 40 years lie was stationed
iat Crow Agency, a federal employe,
I serving, as policeman, interpreter and
' messenger. His affection for the
j Crow Indians whom he found ocea-*
*sion to befriend countless times was
I returned in 1D03 when Crow land was
: being allotted among the Crow In-
\ dians. The tribe Officially adopted
! Smokey and in. that manner he was
! permitted to Share in all tribal bene-
fits and as a full member received
his portion of land. One of his prin-
! eipai jobs at Crow Agency was the
I taking of the mail from the post of«
j fice to the depot.
j In 1929, government bureau offlj
; ciais at Washington, Scanning err
! ployment rolls, noticed that "Chariw
i Wilson'* was beyond the age limit. He
! was ordered removed as provided by
I law. Generous to a fault, he had
[saved nothing and faced a future of
I destitution. The news of the pro- 1
I posed discharge was given to Major I
j Reynolds by General Scott who '■
I stopped here at that time. Both men
] rallied the many Billings friends
j Smokey had made and sent a hurried
j plea to Joseph M. Dixon, then first |
i assistant secretary of the interior. In
! his letter to Mr, Dixon, Major Beyn- j
; olds paid Smokey the following :
i tribute:
"He is now and always has been a
I power for good among the Indians !
! and of aid and benefit to the admin- j
i istrators of their affairs. The old (
I Indians have absolute confidence in
I him. He is far too valuable an employe, both from the standpoint of;
I the Crows and the agency employes,
| to dispense with his services now. He
lis still strong, active, and in good;
I health. He has been used for years
j as the handy man on the reservation.
j The confidence the old Indians have
] in him makes his services valuable as
;i interpreter, smokey all these years
I has given everything he got hold of
1 to help his Old Indian friends in need.
If let out, he will be destitute and ;
1 heartbroken*"
The Gazette editorially pleaded
; Smokey's cause and the result was a
I letter from Mr. Dixon and an order
j from Indian Commissioner JRhoads
] granting Smokey two years of grace.
j After the two-year extension period,
I he was retired With a pension.
;| Smokey was married several times.
ITher& is no accurate count' on this
! but his marriages probabiy numbered
11 or 12. two of these marriages
j Were with . Negresses, the rest with
: Indian women. He ' is survived by. a
son, John E. Wilson, who lives on the
reservation and who was born of one
of the Indian marriages*
Thirty-five and more years ago,
iSmOkey- often showed up at the
j county*, fairs here. He owned a horse
named Blue and invariably won the
races in which he was entered*
\ Through this, he : became well acquainted here.
I "His religion was faithfulness to
{duty/* Major Beynolds said when in-
] formed of Smokey's death. "His
I friends are nation-wide and will re-
j gret his passing.'**
s

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a
Si St
^Charles Wilson Was
Adopted by Crows; |
Ex-Federal Employee
"Smokey"—born in slavery, early
son of Montana, adopted son of the
Crow Indian tribe, government
interpreter, Indian agency policeman,;
and loyal friend of white and red
though his own color was black—is
dead. - „, , j 1
' Death came suddenly to Charles
Wilson, who was "Smokey" the retired Negro government employe, at
about 7 p. m. Monday in his home at
Crow Agency, according to a tele-
phonic message received in Billings
from agency officials by S. G. Reyn-
olds, 3203 Fouth avenue north, long-
time friend and former employer of
"Smokey." .
The cause of death was not given,
but last January 24 the aged Negro {
; entered a hospital at Crow Agency j
\ with an attack of what was then be-
lieved to be a fatal case of pneu- J
: monia.
Smokey was about 78 yiars old, if ;
|his calculations were correct. ;
pProbably the only account of his life (
»is that which he told Major Reyn-i
olds who, from 1902 to 1910, was In-
dian agent on the Crow reservation. j
Major Reynolds had known Smokey j
before, but it was during his tenure |
of office that Smokey became "part
of the family." I
His parents were slaves, he had told j
Major Reynolds, but he did not re- 1
member them. Within a few years
of his birth, which occurred in St. [
Louis, Mo., in about 1858, his mother j
and father were taken away. He Was j
left with a family, the head of Which
was Lewis M. Howell. With the end j
of the Civil war, Mr. Howell shipped 1
by steamboat up the Missouri river j
I to Montana, bringing Smokey along j
, as one Of the members of his own j.
I family.
The steamboat was. the "E. O. Stand- \
ard", making its first trip. The pilot j
was Bud Howell.
Lewis Howell unloaded at Fort Ben- j
' ton and with his ox teams continued
on to Helena. After remaining there j
;two weeks, he moved onto land near |
! Bozeman. There he farmed for about I
three years, but sold out in 1869 and |
moved to California. But Smokey 1
remained in Montana with a Bozeman j
livery stable operator.
It was in this stable that Smokey j
j began his career as an exceptional
horseman, and when Nelson Story,
1 famous early day Montanan, brought j
!a fine bunch' of young horses toi
Bozeman from California, Smokey;
went to work for him, breaking and;
riding the horses. He remained with;
Story for three years.
There were a number of Orow In-
'dians living at that time near Sofe*
man and Smokey associated ire-;
quently with the younger generation. .
He learned to ride as only an Indian j
can ride, competed with the youthful!
Indians in their races, and at the
same time mastered the crow tongue\
and the sign language.
About 1872 he Was **discovered'" by
I the officers of Fort Ellis, who took
him with them on many of their trips j
into Indian country, Smokey acting I
as interpreter. When the soldiers |
left Fort Ellis, Smokey went to live!
with the Crows at the agency on Mis- f
siori creek. He followed the fortunes I
of the Crows from that day until his i
death.
Smokey and Gen. Hugh L. Scott \
first became acquainted in 1877, the |
year after the Battle of the Little Big j
V j Si
/ f
(
/ /
i
-r^
PARMLY BILLINGS
MEMORIAL LIBRARY
BILLINGS, MONTANA
Gift of
Ofaa r> le s J# Cha ppl
®
.'into the Musselshell country to con- ■,
fer with ' Sorrel Horse,-' a crow chief- j
I tain, Scott■ did not need Smokey as
I an interpreter. Scott knew the'Crow j
! language too well himself. But he I
• used Smokey on that trip as his !
I wrangler.
, For the next 10- days, Smokey served ]
: the government as an interpreter,
i For the last 40 years lie was stationed
iat Crow Agency, a federal employe,
I serving, as policeman, interpreter and
' messenger. His affection for the
j Crow Indians whom he found ocea-*
*sion to befriend countless times was
I returned in 1D03 when Crow land was
: being allotted among the Crow In-
\ dians. The tribe Officially adopted
! Smokey and in. that manner he was
! permitted to Share in all tribal bene-
fits and as a full member received
his portion of land. One of his prin-
! eipai jobs at Crow Agency was the
I taking of the mail from the post of«
j fice to the depot.
j In 1929, government bureau offlj
; ciais at Washington, Scanning err
! ployment rolls, noticed that "Chariw
i Wilson'* was beyond the age limit. He
! was ordered removed as provided by
I law. Generous to a fault, he had
[saved nothing and faced a future of
I destitution. The news of the pro- 1
I posed discharge was given to Major I
j Reynolds by General Scott who '■
I stopped here at that time. Both men
] rallied the many Billings friends
j Smokey had made and sent a hurried
j plea to Joseph M. Dixon, then first |
i assistant secretary of the interior. In
! his letter to Mr, Dixon, Major Beyn- j
; olds paid Smokey the following :
i tribute:
"He is now and always has been a
I power for good among the Indians !
! and of aid and benefit to the admin- j
i istrators of their affairs. The old (
I Indians have absolute confidence in
I him. He is far too valuable an employe, both from the standpoint of;
I the Crows and the agency employes,
| to dispense with his services now. He
lis still strong, active, and in good;
I health. He has been used for years
j as the handy man on the reservation.
j The confidence the old Indians have
] in him makes his services valuable as
;i interpreter, smokey all these years
I has given everything he got hold of
1 to help his Old Indian friends in need.
If let out, he will be destitute and ;
1 heartbroken*"
The Gazette editorially pleaded
; Smokey's cause and the result was a
I letter from Mr. Dixon and an order
j from Indian Commissioner JRhoads
] granting Smokey two years of grace.
j After the two-year extension period,
I he was retired With a pension.
;| Smokey was married several times.
ITher& is no accurate count' on this
! but his marriages probabiy numbered
11 or 12. two of these marriages
j Were with . Negresses, the rest with
: Indian women. He ' is survived by. a
son, John E. Wilson, who lives on the
reservation and who was born of one
of the Indian marriages*
Thirty-five and more years ago,
iSmOkey- often showed up at the
j county*, fairs here. He owned a horse
named Blue and invariably won the
races in which he was entered*
\ Through this, he : became well acquainted here.
I "His religion was faithfulness to
{duty/* Major Beynolds said when in-
] formed of Smokey's death. "His
I friends are nation-wide and will re-
j gret his passing.'**
s